Illuminations
by brielle-watterson
Summary: Cedric and Sofia have been accidentally teleported to the 21st century, only to find out that they have stumbled across New York City. Can Sofia use the city's beauty to show Cedric that there is love and hope in this world?
1. Chapter 1

*******Yes, the last part of the description was gay, but hey, I like this fanfic. (And by the way, the reason I am either posting Cedric or Cedric/Sofia stories is because there are barely ANY that others post. So I'm here to bump up things a bit. )********

It was a warm night, and the summer breeze gave Sofia the chills. She stared out her opened window and looked up at the moon. How many days has it been since she saw Cedric? Apparently too many to count. She wanted to see him now, but it was late, and she assumed that everyone would be asleep, including him. Clover, her rabbit, which was asleep, rested on her large bed. Sofia looked at him and back at the moon, wondering what was out there. She thought about the future, and what was to be discovered when even she was long gone. Hundreds of years from now, she thought about the new things that would be invented and found, and what would be lost in the nothingness. And she knew that she too, would be one of the people that would be forgotten when those years come.

The hours flew by, one by one, and Sofia's eyes began to droop as Luna began to bring her sleep. It was as if she had her own lullaby, all the while singing it softly to Sofia, to bring her welcoming dreams that she wouldn't remember by morning. And this statement was just enough to make her settle down on her window seat. She covered herself in her blanket and closed the window, relaxing under Luna's light. And soon, the darkness gently came, and the sweet dreams began their cycle. Gone were her senses, gone were her thoughts-all was silent, and the echoes of the summer breeze bounced off of the window and disappeared into the night.

"Princess Sofia?" Baileywick said as he continued to shake her small frame softly. "Princess Sofia, wake up. It's time for school. Get ready and join the family in the dining room for breakfast as soon as you're done."

"Thank you, Baileywick," Sofia mumbled silently while she rubbed her eyes tiredly. The light of her room greeted her sight as she stood up, walking over towards her closet to pick up her dress. Baileywick, smiling at her one last time, walked out of the room and disappeared down the hallway.

Sofia tugged on her dress, and then slipped on her shoes. Clover hopped over to her, along with Robin and Mia, who flew in from the window.

"Good luck in school today, kid," Clover said.

"Hopefully it will be a good day, Clover. As long as I turn in my homework and have a good attitude, I should be fine. Besides, I think I'm going to visit Mr. Ceedric as soon as I get home." Robin flew over to Sofia, hovering in the air.

"You haven't seen him in forever, Sofia. What made you think you should see him today?" she asked curiously. Sofia sighed at the thought of him.

"I don't know. I guess I've been…lonely lately, and I figured that he might be lonely too. So…I think I'm going to see him as soon as the day is over and I get back." Robin nodded her head understandably and flew back over to Mia. Sofia looked over at the door and smiled.

"Well, I guess I should head off. Breakfast is ready. Bye, guys." Clover said goodbye as she walked out of her room, closing the door and walking down the hallway, looking for the dining room. The walls that passed by shined brightly from the sunlight beaming through the high windows. Sofia wondered what the day was going to be like, thinking about what was to come. Cedric came to her mind again, and she suddenly felt lonelier than before. It was as if her smile was tugged away from the thought. But she knew that she was going to see him again, and it gave her some comfort while she ate breakfast.

And soon, the day began.

"Alright, class. Remember your books for tomorrow. We will be having a test. Have a good day!" Flora's voice faded away as Sofia hopped in the carriage, along with Amber as James waited for them from across the seat. The winged horse flew away, the carriage following behind it. It only took a few minutes to get back to the castle, and Sofia grew more excited each flap the animal's wings made. She thought of seeing Cedric again as she closed her eyes and relaxed.

"Sofia? You look very happy today. Is there something going on?"

"Huh? Oh, no, nothing. I'm just…very happy today," she said as she opened her eyes and replied to James.

The carriage stopped as they reached the ground, the castle door right in front of them. Sofia hopped out of the carriage and walked through the door, not saying a word to anyone, and hurried down the hallways towards Cedric's workshop. She needed to speak to no one but him. He was all that was on her mind. She climbed the stone stairs when she reached them and quickly opened the door, running towards the purple figure that was sitting at a desk.

"Mr. Ceedric!" Sofia cried. Cedric rolled his eyes.

"Sofia, what are you-" But Sofia's hug made him stumble and spill the potion he was working on. Everything turned white, and a weird noise filled the air. Time slowed, and soon, everything became silent. But not even a few minutes later, the silent noise was replaced by loud, obnoxious noises. Cedric opened his eyes and stared at his surroundings, amazed as he stood up. Tall constructions reached toward the sky, and in front of him, hundreds of objects zoomed past by him on a wide gray path. He looked down at Sofia and helped her up, giving her support as she stood next to him. Sofia stared at everything around her as well, her eyes wide.

Silence filled the two for many moments, leaving nothing but the sound of the weird-looking objects driving by and the noise of hundreds of people walking and talking, some holding small devices up to their ears.

"Mr. Ceedric…where are we?" Sofia whispered.

"I don't know, Princess Sofia. I don't know…" He looked up and saw hundreds of billboards that had people on them, his eyes reading the words that the large poster carried. Cedric looked at the side of large buildings and saw advertisements displayed on them, showing bottles of many different types of drinks and weird symbols, along with revealing people on others. The noises filled his ears as he took everything in, from the large strange carriages to the long architecture that surrounded every corner. Little vertical signs that held green plates on them stuck out of the ground from every gray turn, each of them holding a weird name for each path that was offered. From Main Street to Broome Street, Cedric's eyes scanned over everyone and everything, being astonished yet getting a headache from all the scenery.

"Sofia…why did you bump into me?!" he snapped at her. "You made me spill the potion and look where we are!"

"But…I-"

"Why did you have to bump into me Sofia? _Why?_" Sofia's eyes began to swell up with tears from his sharp tone.

"I just wanted-"

"You wanted what, Sofia? What?!"

"I-"

"Do you think it's funny? To come into my workshop and act like an immature brat and make me spill my potion?! I worked days on that, Sofia! Days! And because of you, I'm stuck here in a place I don't know, with a little pest attached to me!" A tear fell down Sofia's cheek as she looked up at him, the fury in his eyes growing brighter second by second. She was too shocked to even say a word.

"You know what? Sometimes I wish that I wasn't a sorcerer, so that I wouldn't have to deal with this, and not even have to spend time with people like you!" Sofia watched him storm down the sidewalk, leaving her behind. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak as the tears fell, one by one. She watched as the purple figure began to disappear among the crowd that walked past by her, her emotions getting the best of her as she thought of what just happened. At first it was fine, and then it was this.

"I'm sorry…"

Cedric suddenly stopped as he thought of what just overcame him. He had yelled at the only one who possibly looked up to him, the only one who believed in him. He thought of Sofia and turned around, sprinting past the people and heading back towards her, seeing her sitting on the side of the street after a few moments went by. He slowed down and stopped, gazing at her small frame that rested on the edge of the sidewalk. He saw the red puffy eyes and the clear drops of salty water that trailed down her cheeks. His heart suddenly twisted as he remembered his tone of voice, thinking of how much it hurt her. It was as if he was feeling her emotions, and all of the anger inside of him was gone.

He walked over to her side and sat down beside her, ignoring the ones who looked at them confusingly and continued to walk on.

"Sofia…I…" Cedric looked at her as she continued to stare at the ground, not breaking her gaze from it. "Sofia…about what I said…I…" She shifted her body away from him, her back almost facing his view. She kept her gaze fixed on the ground and away from his.

"All I wanted was to see you…and I get this?" she whispered. Cedric tried to find the words to say, but he could get nothing out of him.

"Sofia…that…that wasn't me…"

"What do you mean that wasn't you?!" she snapped at him violently, her gaze sharply meeting his as her body turned towards him. "I missed you so much, and I haven't seen you in forever-all I wanted was a small visit, and just because of an accident, you treat me like this?! You have _no excuse_ for what you just did!" Cedric bowed his head in shame as she continued to accuse him.

"Now how do you like getting yelled at in public, huh?! Doesn't feel good, does it?"

"No…"

"You know…sometimes I wonder if you even _notice_ the kindness that I am giving you. Sometimes I wonder if you even know I'm there! I have tried, and tried, and tried again and again to get you to understand how I feel about you, but all you do is stand there, and act like I'm just a pile of dirt! Well you know what, _sorcerer?_ I've had it with you and your attitude towards me! If you think I'm just going to sit here and let you treat me like nothing, well you would be right if you could never be more wrong! Now do yourself a favor and clean up your **filthy act!**"

Cedric listened to every word she said, feeling a deep remorse that grew bigger inside of him. And the part that upset him the most…was that she was right. He had been treating her like dirt, as if she was nothing. Her voice hurt him, and he looked away in shame, along with regret.

The large objects past by them, one by one, and the gray sky that hovered above them slowly began to turn black. As the day began to disappear, the wind grew colder than it already was. Cedric looked over at Sofia, who was shivering, struggling for warmth.

"Come here, you," he whispered in her ear softly as he wrapped her up in his arms, holding her close. His robe gave her a warm feeling as Sofia rested her head against his chest, closing her eyes sleepily from all the crying that she just let out. He nuzzled her gently and continued to hold her, closing his arms around her body even tighter than before.

"I'm sorry…" The pale moon glowed dimly through the clouds, and the lights of the strange place lit up like a fire being ignited.

And it began to snow.


	2. Chapter 2

Cedric and Sofia stayed there that night, silent on the sidewalk. The cold winter night chilled them to the bone, but both of them kept each other warm enough to the point where they could tolerate it. Cedric opened his eyes and looked up from where he sat when he heard loud footsteps coming closer and closer to them.

"Hey, you two lost?" Cedric stayed where he was, careful not to wake up Sofia.

"Yes, we are. Where are we?" The anonymous man smiled and laughed cheerfully.

"Why, you are in New York City! And where you are in New York City, you are in Manhattan!"

"…Manhattan?"

"That's what I said," he chuckled happily. "And not far down-I'd say about two blocks away and around the corner-is Central Park. Have you been there?" Cedric looked at him confusingly. Park? What park?

"No," he replied, shaking his head.

"Oh, it sure is a beauty. And I think your little one there might love it."

"She's not my daughter." The man looked at him, flummoxed.

"Oh? Then who is she?"

"She…she's umm…" The man nodded at him and smiled.

"Right. So, where are you heading?" Cedric looked back up at him, staring at his attire. What on earth was he wearing?

"I told you. I don't have a heading. And what are you wearing?" A deep laugh escaped the man's mouth.

"Why, this is a coat, dear sir! I got it over at Burlington's Coat Factory. It was expensive, but it sure does help keep the warmth with you during this time of the year. I'm not a big fan of winter, but everything here is beautiful, even at this time, and that's just enough to make me stay here in my beloved hometown."

The stranger looked at his wrist, which was covered by a thin, black strap with a weird glass circle on it.

"Well, I'd better be headin' out. Time is ticking, and my meeting is soon going to take place here in about two hours." Cedric stopped him before he could go, grabbing his black coat and looking up at his blue eyes.

"Wait, sir. Do you know what time it is?" Just then, a series of bells began to sound throughout the air. One, two, over three times they rang, coming from nowhere. A man who offered fruit on the side of the street shouted out loud, his voice echoing to others.

"Five o'clock! Five o'clock in the morning! Come get your daily nutrition here! We have all the fruit you need!"

The man looked back down at Cedric.

"Does that answer your question?" he grinned. "I must go now. Enjoy the sites of New York. And get your kid home safe. She'll need all the warmth she can get." Cedric glared at him, thinking of what he just said. They weren't poor. But then he looked around, seeing everyone in their fancy clothes. He looked up at all the buildings, their large structure touching the sky. Maybe in their eyes, they were poor. They had no home. They had no warm clothes, and no food. To the New Yorkers, they were just a father and daughter sitting on the side of a street, begging for warmth. And Cedric knew that he had to find a place for them.

He shook Sofia lightly, asking her to wake up. She did and looked around, taking in her surroundings and feeling a bit scared, then look up at Cedric, and felt relieved. She wrapped her arms around him and dug her face in his chest, whispering softly.

"I thought you left me…" Cedric smiled and held her, trapping her in his embrace.

"I would never leave you here, Sofia. Now come. We need to find a place to stay if I'm going to figure out how to get out of here. Until I come up with a plan, let's find a place to rest. And later, we'll go explore." Just then, a lady came up to them, looking old and frail, her eyes showing concern.

"Sir, not to bother, but do you need a place to stay?" Cedric took the wonderful opportunity and smiled.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, I just moved out from my apartment not too long ago. I think it's still available. Would you like it? It's a beautiful one, fit for just you and your young one."

"That would be delightful." Cedric and Sofia followed the rich lady on the sidewalk, walking past so many shops and stores. Sofia smiled at all the Christmas stuff they had displayed in the window seals, from Santa toys to reindeer dolls. She smiled when she saw the little green trees that held lights on them, the bulbs changing colors every second. It gave her a bright feeling, a feeling that she rarely got from home. The smell of snow in the air filled her nose as they continued to walk along. Sofia focused on what music she could here, from a troubadour playing his fiddle to a nearby orchestra performing, she made her ears put the sounds together, along with the bells that came from nowhere, and created a beautiful harmony.

"Princess Sofia? Why are your eyes closed? We're walking. You need to see where you're going." But Sofia ignored him.

"Oh, Mr. Ceedric, don't you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"_Everything…_"

"Alright you two. I found a great place for you. Just right this way," the lady said as she led them through a glass door that was attached to a large building. Cedric gazed up at the high ceilings, wondering how much the future has progressed in…well…everything. He was, in fact, impressed, as he stared at the man who had everything out at the front desk, waiting for them.

"Chris?" the lady said. "You have new visitors. And they need a place to stay for a while until they get back on their feet. So, I am giving them my apartment, understand?"

"Yes, Madam," he smiled. "Right this way, folks." The woman looked at Cedric and handed him a wad of green paper.

"This will pay for two months. You will get a bill each month. You have two months to get a job and get your career started before you freeze to death in this city." She walked over to Sofia and kneeled down on her knees, giving Sofia a large wad of green paper too.

"Sofia," Cedric said. "Don't take-"

Make sure your father takes you out to buy more appropriate clothes for you. This amount of money will come into good use. Use it wisely." She turned her head back to Cedric as she stood up. "All of the furniture is where it was left. Feel free to move it when you two pick a room."

"Um, Madam? May I?" She looked over her shoulder at Chris, then back at him, and handed over the keys to the apartment.

"Have a safe life." And then she left, like a ghost disappearing from its death place. Sofia watched her go, walking out the door and being driven away by a long, black, thin carriage. Cedric grabbed her hand as the doorman led them up the elevator, passing many floors as they got out.

"You two will be on the very top floor. Lucky for you, that lady had a beautiful apartment, and I think this one will suit you both. Now the view of the main room, which is the one you will see when you first enter, is covered by very thick glass. So, there will be two rooms on each side, protected by a door. The left and right side of the main room will be walls, and the far side of the room will be made of glass, giving you a beautiful winter view of the city."

Cedric nodded his head as he continued to describe it to him, holding Sofia's hand in his.

"Your monthly payment is about eighty dollars, and if you have any plumbing problems with the bathrooms, call one of our plumbers and he'll deal with it. There are two bathrooms, one in each room except for the main room, which would be a living room. Now, the room is very large, sir, so there is plenty of space for your child to move around."

"She's not my child."

"All the furniture is where it was like the lady said, and over in the far left corner of the main room lays a black full-sized piano. And I advise you to only touch it if you are willing to play it." The man opened the door to the apartment and led them inside, staying where he was. "Enjoy your stay." And then he left.

Sofia gazed at the room in amazement, looking at the high ceiling and the class view. She ran towards it, and could see a hint of daylight appearing in the sky. They were on the side of a street again, so across from her, she could only see the different colors of golden lights from the other apartments. But it was beautiful in its own way, and Sofia felt as if she was starting life all over again, just like how Cedric felt. It would take some time to get used to things, but he knew that they wouldn't be here for long. Perhaps maybe less than two months. Perhaps maybe less than that. But he knew as long as he had Sofia, everything would be okay.

"Where are we, Mr. Ceedric?" Sofia asked, looking over her shoulder and at him, her hands on the glass. He strolled over to her, placing a hand on her small back.

"We are in Manhattan, my dear." Sofia gazed out the window, listening to his words, and hearing the bells sound once more as the next hour came and went.

"Welcome to New York City."


	3. Chapter 3

Cedric awoke from his bed, the pale sunlight shining through the window. There was a cold wind in the air, one that was hinted with the scent of winter itself. He knew that he had to find warm clothes for them. But where was he supposed to go? There were so many places-so many shops and large buildings with mini-shops inside them. But where was Cedric exactly supposed to go?

Obviously there was a price on everything, from the consideration of when that old lady gave them both a whole wad of cash. Cedric didn't really want to change into the future's generation clothes, but there was no way his outfit that he wore right now was going to keep him warm. Sofia's clothes will do no good either.

_Sofia!_ Cedric quickly leaped out of bed and sprinted out of his bedroom, crossing the living room and into the next room. Total panic hit him. If he lost Sofia, it would be the end of him. _Literally._ Roland would surely have his head if he found out that they were accidentally teleported to the future and he lost her. He could already see the King's face, his eyes blazing with rage and hatred as the guards threw him in the dungeon. It was a horrible image he thought of.

But Cedric's fears fell away as he sighed with relief, seeing Sofia tucked in under the covers, safe and sound. He walked over to the side of the bed, and gently woke her up. They needed to get some warm clothes, and Cedric had to figure out the way back home.

If there _was_ a way back home.

Sofia's eyes fluttered open, gazing at her surroundings sleepily, not recognizing where she was at first. But then she saw Cedric, and suddenly everything came back to her. The argument, the lady, the apartment-everything. She shot up from the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck, thankful that he was there when there was no one else.

Cedric rolled his eyes-he never really liked physically contact. He sighed in exasperation and let out a little grunt noise.

"Oh, stop being such a grump," Sofia said. "You could be losing your legs, Mr. Ceedric, so it's not the end of the world just because I gave you a hug." She looked into his eyes and bumped the bridge of his nose. "We're lucky that we're both actually alive." She hopped out of bed as she let him go.

"Phew, I'm hungry," she mumbled.

"Well, we don't have any food, now do we? So you're just going to have to suck it up," Cedric replied stubbornly. Sofia felt a little hurt by his sharp and sarcastic voice, but she knew that for some reason it was his nature, and decided to let it go, but not all the way. She grabbed the wad of money on the nightstand and walked back over to him as he stayed on the side of the bed.

"Then let's go get some," Sofia growled irritatingly and she placed the money in his lap. Cedric sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He really wished he wasn't stuck here now. He wished he was back at home with Wormwood, away from everything and everyone. But no, it has to be this way.

As he rose to his feet, Cedric said nothing as they walked out of their apartment and headed down the elevator. As they reached the first floor, the doorman came by and held out a small, silver object.

"Don't forget your key," he reminded them warmly. Cedric said nothing as he took it and walked out, Sofia's hand in his as they cautiously roamed the sidewalk. What was first, though? Food or clothes?

_No. Food. She won't complain once I get her some. Don't want to risk being told on when we get back._ Cedric made up his mind and started looking for any signs of places that had something to eat. He already felt awkward talking to the anonymous man the other night, so he didn't really want to ask anyone else questions. So the sorcerer used his eyes and scanned over the see-through windows, checking to see if there were any tables there that had people sharing them and eating.

Although Cedric was hungry himself, the names they had for the restaurants were ridiculous. From McDonald's to Burger King, each and every one of them got weirder and weirder. Rally's? Sonic? Dairy Queen? What in the hell…?

Cedric finally saw one that looked easy to hit. Starbucks. It was small, and there was barely a line. The sorcerer grabbed Sofia's attention and showed her. Luckily, she nodded. Sofia wasn't the one who was picky. That was Amber. He shuddered at the thought of being here with that…that…that god-awful thing. Maybe he should be a little bit grateful. He was lucky he had Sofia with him instead Amber or James.

…Or Baileywick.

"Mr. Ceedric, are we going inside? Please, I'm really cold. I hope it's warm in there," Sofia said, breaking him out of his thoughts. He stared down at her.

"Yes, yes, come on." They both crept inside the small building and headed toward the line. He looked up above the counter and saw a glowing menu hung on the wall, showing him what all they had there. He brought out the money and looked next to the name of the item and drink, seeing how much each thing would cost and trying to add it up as best as he could.

The lady was right. He didn't have a job. He needed to save money.

"Sofia, look on the menu and tell me what you want. But don't order so much. We need to save our money for more important things." The small princess nodded and gazed up at the menu. Her eyes looked over it a few times, and then she decided what she wanted.

"I'll take the small box of mini-cinnamon rolls and a bottle of orange juice. That's all." Cedric nodded his head in response. Now what did he want? It took a while to choose, but he finally figured it out as soon as they were next in line. The cashier looked up at him and her smile immediately dropped.

"Umm…may I help…you?" She looked at him as if to say, 'you stupid idiot, why are you going around with those clothes on?' Cedric could tell she tried not to laugh and he glared at her for it. "What can I get for you?" she snickered.

"…One small box of mini-cinnamon rolls and a bottle of orange juice, along with a serving of petite vanilla bean scone, with a pumpkin spice latte, thank you," he growled at her. Cedric watched her as she pressed her fingers on the screen and yelled for a guy named Sam.

A curly-haired man quickly stood by her side and looked at her.

"Yep?"

"I'll take care of the food-you get the drinks. One pumpkin spice latte and one bottle of orange juice." The young woman disappeared and Sam went to work as he hummed a little tune, fetching Sofia's orange juice and then heading over to the coffee maker to finish up Cedric's latte. Cedric was never really a coffee drinker, but this was a coffee store, so what other choice did he have besides water?

Sam handed Cedric the coffee, which was in a cardboard-like cup with the store's symbol on it that said Starbucks. But before Sam gave it to him, he asked for his name.

"Name?" The sorcerer narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Why on earth would he want his name?

"…Cedric…" Sam's eyebrows lifted as he wrote it down on the cup with a thick, black sharpie before he handed it to him.

"I hope I spelled that right," Sam said as he walked off. Cedric looked down at the cup.

**Sedrick**

_ You got to be kidding me._ Once again he glared, but not for long when the lady came back and handed him their food, which was in a small back.

"That'll be ten dollars." He looked down and pulled out a green slip that said ten on it and handed it to her. She smiled politely as she opened up a drawer from the small machine.

"Next."

Cedric and Sofia sat down at a table in the far corner, away from the windows and away from civilization. Both of them felt very uncomfortable from all the people that were staring at them every now and then. _Oh yeah,_ Cedric thought. _We're definitely getting new clothes._ Both of them were silent as they ate, Cedric taking a sip of his coffee while Sofia was finishing up her mini-cinnamon rolls, which were smothered in what looked like icing, but turned out to be cream cheese.

"Thanks for the food, Mr. Ceedric."

"Why? I didn't cook it." She giggled at him.

"Yes, but you bought it for me."

"Oh…your welcome," he replied silently. As they finished up, they threw their trash away in the bins and went to find another store, this time filled with clothes. Sofia shook his robe gently and pointed at a large sign that held the names of so many stores on them as they turned the corner and entered what looked like Broadway, according to the small green sign sticking out of the ground.

_Okay…so those must be street names. Got it. It'll be easier to find places._ Cedric snapped out of his thoughts once more as Sofia gasped.

"Mr. Ceedric, look." His eyes followed hers and soon even his began to widen. Across the street from them, stood a large building, the height of the castle back at home, with everything on the outside made out of windows. Lights were lit everywhere and beamed down right on them, and the two gazed at it as if they had found Jesus himself. Cedric looked in the windows and saw something.

Clothes.

"Come on, Sofia," he said, rushing her along. "Hold my hand." As soon as the sign said go, they quickly walked across the street, keeping an eye out to make sure that none of the thousands of rolling machines didn't run over them. Cedric felt relieved when they reached the other sidewalk. Sofia read the words on the glass doors.

"Manhattan Mall. What's a mall?"

"We're about to find out, princess." They walked inside, and tried to take everything in all at once. Cedric looked at a sign nearby and read all of the stores' names. There were a total of forty of them. He looked down at Sofia who, of course, seemed to be astonished. She looked at everyone around her and everything else, from the high ceilings to the tiled flooring. But what really caught her interest was the moving staircase. The steps of it seemed to move in a weird…way. And there were two sets of them. A guy stood by them, holding a bag for shoppers to take if they wanted one.

"What are those, Mr. Ceedric?"

"I don't know, Sofia, some type of staircase, obviously." But he himself wanted to know what they were, so he walked over to the man who was standing beside them, Sofia attached to his side.

"Excuse me, sir, but do you know what these are?" he asked as he pointed to the moving stair steps. The man looked at him questioningly.

"…Uh, escalators?" The black man looked down at Cedric's clothing then at Sofia's. "And where are you going? Fetching clothes for Halloween? It's winter, man, open your eyes! And stop wearing a bathrobe, fool. You look stupid. Is this your daughter?" Cedric was too shocked at his rude remarks that he didn't answer. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Poor child." Cedric's mouth opened and Sofia's eyes widened.

"Alright you two, move along, and get out of those clothes! Go on now, shoo!" They both stepped onto the stairs and started going up. Cedric felt anger rise in him at that man's comments. It took all of his energy not to pull out his wand and change him into a frog or do something.

_If I were him,_ Cedric thought once more, _I wouldn't be making an ass of myself whenever I see someone who looks different. _Sofia let go of Cedric's hand as they almost reached the top. There was a crease in the floor where the steps would flatten out and disappear, kind of like a recycling thing and beginning at the bottom again.

"Now Sofia, when we get up here, I want you to-"

_**Thud!**_

"Mr. Ceedric!" The small princess rushed to his side and tugged on his robe, which got caught in the crease. It took a few tugs full of her strength, but it eventually came out. Luckily there wasn't that many people around them, so only a few saw the scene.

"Are you alright?" Sofia asked in a sympathetic tone, brushing back his gray bangs with a worried expression as she knelt down in front of him.

"Ugh, I'm fine," Cedric replied aggravatingly. Sofia grabbed his arm and helped him up.

"Come on, let's find some new clothes and get out of here. There's a sign up ahead that tells us what stores there are and what category they're under. Let's not waste time. I want to go home just as much as you do, okay?" Sofia spoke in such a soft tone, and Cedric had to admit that he felt a little bit comforted from it. So he nodded silently and walked up to the board, then looked at the clothing categories and read what was under them.

Men's Apparel: Aeropostale, City Streets, Express, P.S. from Aeropostale, Top Gun Leather

Women's Apparel: Aeropostale, Afaze, Express, P.S. from Aeropostale, Social, Strawberry, Top Gun Leather, Victoria's Secret

_Again, more weird names. Our society has changed a ton._

"Alright, Sofia. Let's choose a store. We'll do you first. How about Aeropostale?"

"Okay." He led her through the hallway quickly, scanning for the store. As they crossed many pathways and turned at least three corners, they found it hiding at the end of a dead-end. Cedric looked into the store and smiled very little, thankful that there were very few people in there.

Then, their shopping began.

It took a few hours for them both, trying to see what there was to wear. They didn't even know what size they were, but both of them were thankful that there were dressing rooms, so they could make sure the outfits fit. Both of them were uncomfortable, knowing that they were trying on things that were anonymous to them. But in the end, Sofia bought herself about six pairs of these…so called 'jeans' along with six shirts.

Cedric bought him some jeans as well-it was the only thing the stores had that looked halfway decent in his eyes. At least people would stop staring at him weirdly whenever they came out of their apartment. Both of them bought some jackets as well to keep them warm. Sofia bought long-sleeve shirts while Cedric bought buttoned-up ones that held small popped collars. That was as close as Cedric could get to his normal clothes.

As each of them held two bags in one of their hands from their own store, Cedric kept walking down the hallway with Sofia, heading toward the exit until he walked up to something that wasn't really pleasant at all.

_Oh. My. Living. God._

"OKAY SOFIA LET'S GET OUT OF HERE NOW. WE ARE LEAVING AND NEVER COMING HERE AGAIN." Before she could reply, Cedric covered up her eyes with his empty hand and rushed her towards the escalators. He didn't even look back at the posters of the half-naked women sticking out of the window as they leaped onto the moving stairs.

_Now I definitely know not to come here again! What kind of society has this turned into? _Cedric yelled the thoughts inside his head. How did he NOT see that coming? He looked down into Sofia's eyes.

"Don't you _ever_ tell _anyone_ you saw that, understand?" he said sternly. Sofia nodded silently as they walked off. Now come on, let's get back to the apartment. Then we'll wait a few hours before we get dinner. It's only noon. I hope we didn't spend too much…"

"Don't worry, Mr. Ceedric. We'll get back home soon. I know we will," she smiled. Cedric smiled at her optimism but was concerned. He really hoped that she would keep her mouth shut about the Victoria's Secret store.

"Oh, please do," he silently prayed.

As Cedric unlocked the door, Sofia stepped inside and went to her room, setting down the bags on her bed. Cedric did the same with his, only placing them on a chair in his room. He took off his shoes and robe, and then rested on the bed. He needed a nap. Then, from the corner of his eye, Sofia walked in.

"Mr. Ceedric, I promise I won't say anything about what I saw, okay?" Cedric only nodded.

"Climb up here, Sofia. You and I need to rest." He lifted his arm up and invited her in. She said nothing and took off her shoes, then crawled in with him. Cedric stroked her hair as she cuddled his side, holding onto his green shirt. She hid her face as well, and soon fell asleep there in his arms. He closed his eyes and eventually gave into the darkness as reality drifted away.

It was going to be awhile before they could get back home.


	4. Chapter 4

Sofia woke up next to Cedric, seeing that the sun was down. She looked up at him, whom she thought was asleep.

But he wasn't.

He stared off into nothing, as if she wasn't there. He must have been lost in his thoughts again. What he was thinking about and why he was staring into nothing…that she never knew. And Sofia knew that she never will. But it didn't last long until he looked down at her, a blank expression on his face. A face that said 'I don't know.' Right then Sofia knew that he really did have no idea how to get back home. She bowed her head in sadness, and crawled up to his side, just to rest her head on his chest.

She closed her eyes for a moment and relaxed, feeling Cedric's long arms curl around her small frame. Never in her life had she thought that he'd do that, but apparently she of all people was wrong. He held her so tenderly-so mild.

"Mr. Ceedric…how are we going to get home?" she asked, knowing that he didn't know the answer.

And of course, there wasn't one.

Not a breath came out of him as he bowed his head in silence. He leaned his forehead against hers, and Sofia wrapped her arms around his neck protectively. Cedric hid his face in the crook of her neck, out of tiredness. But not that tiredness. Then, an idea hit her.

"Come on, Mr. Ceedric. We can't stay in here forever. We have to know our surroundings so we can figure out how to get home."

"Sofia…all of my spell books are in the workshop. All I have is my wand. And it is powerless here. Magic doesn't exist in this generation. We have nothing…" Sofia lifted her head and gazed into his eyes.

"It's that kind of attitude that's only making it worse. We need to try. We can't just give up."

"So? What's not giving up going to do for us?"

"Family comes first."

Silence came between them, until Sofia rose out of bed and headed towards her room. Five minutes later, she appeared once more, dressed in blue jeans and a white shirt, a black buttoned-up jacket draped over her shoulders. In her hands she carried an outfit of his, and threw it on the bed.

"Get dressed. We're going out."

The streets were wild as the sun completely faded away. It was cloudy, but that made the city grounds glow even brighter. As Cedric held Sofia's hand in his, he thought of one thing. What is Grand Central Park? Nearby, the sorcerer saw a group of people on a small trolley.

"Alright folks, please take a seat! Grand Central Park is our next stop on this tour, so get your cameras ready!" Cedric knew only one word at that point. Follow. He lightly tugged on Sofia's hand and led her towards the trolley as it started to roll away. Cedric wasn't really in the mood for rides, so he continued following on foot. It should take them where they wanted to go.

And sure enough, it did.

Sofia gazed at the scenery. Snow as white as could be was smothered on the ground, reaching over hundreds of acres. The trees were white, and yellow lights covered them. Some were yellow, some were white, and some even changed color! From all kinds of blues to greens and reds, light filled the park from every corner. Not a speck of darkness was found. Cedric looked down at Sofia's expression and smiled. She loved it.

As much as the princess wanted to run around and play, she knew better to stay by Cedric's side. So her feet remained still and left her eyes to soak up the atmosphere.

"Oh, Mr. Ceedric…" He urged her forward and they found a brick path, and decided to take a nice walk. "Everything is beautiful," Sofia murmured.

"It sure is quite a sight. Maybe this society isn't bad after all," Cedric smiled. After a few minutes of walking along the perimeter, they both found a metal bench that was dry and sat down. Nearby, Cedric could hear the sound of an orchestra playing in the background. He looked left, right, and left again before he could calculate where it was coming from, which was far east.

As he turned his head and leaned over, he began to see a whole blob of what looked like metal chairs, and a stage. That's when he noticed one of the trees next to him had a sign on it, holding a blue violin design and a few words under it.

_Josh Groban Concert: Seven to eleven P.M. Grand Central Park_

Cedric read the sign. _Now who on earth is Josh Groban?_ he asked himself. He decided to be curious and helped Sofia up.

"Come on, Sofia. I think you might like this." He led her through the snowy ground and led the princess toward the crowd, which got bigger and clearer the closer they got. As they walked quicker and finally reached the crowd, which took about fifteen minutes of walking, a man walked out on stage and began to speak into a microphone.

"Hello, Manhattan!" The column of people stood up from their chairs and cheered, from whistling to screaming and waving their hands. Cedric studied the one who was talking on stage. Strange-he looked just like Sam-only with a shorter version of curly hair and carried brown eyes instead of blue.

"Listen, it's great to be here tonight you know-this is my favorite city in the world. And I can say now that it is a pleasure to be here with all of you guys in this beautiful park and beautiful city and-everything is just beautiful, you know! Trees and snow and…snow…"

Everyone laughed that point. Even Sofia let out a giggle from his voice. Cedric on the other hand was too curious that he wasn't in the mood for amusement. As the man finished giving his little speech, he sat down at a nearby piano, one that looked like theirs.

"Now, a perfect song to get this concert started-this is one of my favorite songs-The Bells of New York City." Cedric and Sofia walked closer so they could hear the piano's notes rise into the air, filling up the people's heads with music and dissipating into the cloudy night. And then, he began to sing.

_There's a pale winter moon in the sky_

_Coming through my window_

_And the park is lit out like a bed below_

_It's a cold dark night_

_And my heart melts like the snow_

_And the bells of New York City tell me not to go_

_Ooooh…_

_Ooooh…_

Sofia closed her eyes and felt herself get lost into the music. His voice was so clear and so beautiful-it seemed to chase her away from reality. And that's what made Manhattan come alive. The princess opened up her eyes and looked all around her, from the large buildings far off in the distance, the streets filled with hundreds of what she learned were cars, to Josh himself singing on stage and playing the piano.

She looked up at Cedric, whose eyes were focused on him as he gazed. He had to admit, the man did have a good voice. More of a deeper one than usual. But man, it does NOT match his body. The guy looked like a complete nerd, from his short, messy hair to his round face. Cedric barely found any handsomeness in him at all. He strained closer and listened as he sang the second verse.

_It's always this time of year that my thoughts undo me_

_With the ghosts of many lifetimes all about_

_But from these mad heights_

_I can always hear the sound_

_Of the bells of New York City singing all around_

_Ooooh…_

_Ooooh…_

_Stay with me_

_Stay with me_

_Refuge from these broken dreams_

_Wait right here_

_Awake with me_

_On silent snow-filled streets_

_Sing to me one song for joy and one for redemption_

_And whatever's in between that I call mine_

_With the street lamp light_

_To illuminate the gray_

_And the bells of New York City calling me to stay_

_The bells of New York City calling me to stay_

_Ooooh…_

_Ooooh…_

_Ooooh…_

_Ooooh…_

And just like that, the song was over. Josh carried on and on, from some speech to the next few songs. He sang over twenty songs that night, covering his so called album named _All That Echoes._ Cedric however had no idea what he was talking about. What was an album? Everything confused him, but it was a good thing he expected it.

The sorcerer looked down at the princess and smiled when the concert had finally ended. Believe it or not, the two stayed there for the entire four hours, just standing and gazing at this wonderful, warm-spirited man who just sang his heart out. From Starry, Starry Night to False Alarms and Brave, he sang on and on, with a full orchestra playing behind him, which made everything better, even the image of Josh himself. Then again, everything in the art of music was better with an orchestra.

But as they walked to their apartment, there was one song that caught Cedric the most. And that was February Song. It was as if…he found his own song. A song that held lyrics that seemed to connect with him. A song that told a story about a man who lost his other self. His good self. And was left behind with the other side of him. The side no one wanted to see. The bad side. And Cedric could still hear the chorus ring through his head as he thought more and more about it.

As they reached the apartment, Cedric was amazed at how much he remembered from February Song. He remembered everything! All of the verses, the chorus-everything. Cedric unlocked the door and led Sofia inside, where she disappeared into her room to change into her nightgown. The sorcerer headed towards his to change as well.

The bag of clothes that lied on the chair only had a few pairs of nightwear outfits. Cedric thought that they wouldn't be here for long, but he was wrong. So he guessed that they'd have to do even more shopping. Great. Just great.

As he climbed in bed after turning out the lights, Sofia silently crept into his room.

"Mr. Ceedric, I…umm…" He sat up.

"What is it, Sofia?" She hesitated; scared that he was going to reject her, so she made it as simple as possible just to get it over with.

"I don't want to be alone tonight…" Cedric thought about it for a moment, and then smiled.

"Come here," he whispered, lifting the covers and inviting her once more. Perhaps he would enjoy her company. The princess smiled shyly and crawled in with him, cuddling his side as she struggled to get his warmth. Her right hand clutched his shirt as Cedric rested his head upright against the pillow, stroking her hair softly as she snuggled closer. And very quietly, as soft as the light of the moon, his voice began to sing to her, summoning her to sleep.

_Where has that old friend gone_

_Lost in a February Song_

_Tell him it won't be long_

_Till he opens his eyes_

_Opens his eyes…_

_Where is that simple day_

_Before colors broke into shades_

_And how did I ever fade_

_Into this life_

_Into this life…_

_And I never want to let you down_

_Forgive me if I slip away_

_When all that I've known is lost and found_

_I promise you I, I'll come back to you one day_

_Morning is waking up_

_And sometimes it's more than just enough_

_When all that you need to love_

_Is in front of your eyes_

_It's in front of your eyes…_

_And I never want to let you down_

_Forgive me if I slip away_

_Sometimes it's hard to find my ground_

'_Cause I keep on falling as I try to get away_

_From this crazy world_

_And I never want to let you down_

_Forgive me if I slip away_

_When all that I've known is lost and found_

_I promise you I, I'll come back to you one day_

_Where has that old friend gone_

_Lost in a February song_

_Tell him it won't be long_

_Till he opens his eyes_

_Opens his eyes…_


End file.
